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Base of Operations

The Maledictors do not have a homeworld as many other chapters do. Instead they are a fleet based chapter, that crosses the stars seeking out those who rebel against the Emperor and infringe upon his Dominion. As such, they can quickly respond to any threat that arises within the Esquiline Quadrant. Instead of a fortress monastary the chapter utilises an upgraded battle barge, the Denunciator, as a flagship and location for important structures such as the Forge and Reclusarium.

The Denunciator

The Denunciator was built soon after the founding of the Maledictors chapter, during the turmoil following the Age of Apostacy. The construction of the spaceframe for the battle barge was initiated in the year 529.M36, at the Adeptus Mechanicus fleetyards orbiting the forgeworld of Gryphonne IV. From its conception, it was built according to the ancient STC sytems that have been in use since the days of the Great Scouring. Lying within a vast crater on the forgeworld's third moon, servitors and tech priests poured over the colossal framework and slowly the ship took shape. This massive construction effort lasted some 40 years as the Adeptus of the Machine God laboured over the rituals needed to fabricate the vessel.

In 570.M36 the last bulkheads were welded into place and the Rites of Connection were intoned as the massive plasma batteries were lowered into their cowlings. Witnessed by several of the fledgling chapter's new officers and the Magos of the Collegium Aedificatio, the behemoth was named by the Arch Magi of Gryphonne and then set free from her grav moorings. For the next few years the ship was subjected to rigourous shakedown cruises by the Tech Adepts and engaged in her first live fire exercises. Not long before the Denunciator was handed over to the chapter the two massive bombardment cannons on her dorsal spine were finally brought online. The colossal magma reactors that powered the weapons both ignited upon the first Call to Firing, a sign that the Omnissiah had truely breathed blessed life into the ship. According to ancient ritual, the powerful cannons were turned on a collection of moored asteroids, obliterating them into dust and marking the ship's first kill.

The Denuciator then undertook the journey to the Anargo Sector, breaking into the warp for the first time on the edges of the Gryphonne system. Along with a skeleton crew from the new chapter, the ship also carried a cadre of Mechanicus personnel. These tech priests were being sent to the forgeworld of Proteus as an honour guard for the most sacred STC templates for the vessel and many other items of technology needed to sustain the chapter in it new home. Soon the fledgling chapter was recieving a steady supply of munitions and equipment from Proteus, along with a number of heavy vehicles and aircraft. The arrival of the Denunciator in the Anargo Sector was uneventful and the ship was immeadiately united with the chapter and pressed into active service.

In 240.M37 the chapter petitioned the Arch-Magos on Proteus to provide assistance in converting the Denunciator to suit better suit the requirements of the fleet. The changes proposed by the Techmarines and the Mechanicus took many years of deliberation, and even resulted in consulting the memory engrams of the now deceased Arch-Magos of the Gryphonne Forge who had overseen origininal construction of the ship.

Eventually the techpriests of both forgeworlds concluded that such modifications were possible and the existing STC spaceframe could be altered, and doing so would not enrage the Machine Spirit that dwelt in the mighty ship. In 275.M37 the Denunciator was withdrawn from active service and was brought into dock above Anargo Secundus. In a ritual that lasted an entire year the Tech Priests walked the corridors of the vessel, appeasing the machine spirit and preparing it for the ordeals of the refit. The entire conversion and upgrade process conducted by the Cult Mechanicus and the chapters' Techmarines lasted for twelve years. During that time, extensive work was carried out to extend and reinforce the ships space frame as well as to lock new tactical modules into place. The forges of Anargo Secundus slaved to produce the precision components needed for the Denunciator and artificers worked to integrate them within the hull. Finally in 288.M37, the Denunciator slipped free from her moorings and powered up to join the rest of the Maledictors fleet. Since that time, the ship has served as the chapter's home and base of operations, leading them in war and cradling marines from their induction until the day they partake of the Emperor's Peace.

The main changes made during the refit in M37 included the extension and expansion of the main frame of the vessel, altering the appearance of the ship. Large additions were made to the ventral surface of the vessel, from the engine assemblies as far forwardas the main gun deck. This extension houses the majority of the systems needed for the essential functioning of the ship, freeing space in the superstructure for other ancillary uses. One of the other important changes made to the Denunciator was the extension of the Prow Launch bays. Although the vessel lost considerable firepower from the removal of the several plasma batteries; the extended launch area ensured that large numbers of marines could be deployed much faster than from a regular Barge. The main flight deck now extends a full quarter of the way into the interior of the ship, and is protected from the cold vacuum of space by a series of adamantium blast doors. From here, the chapters' Thunderhawks, Landing Craft and Drop Pods are launched.

The refit altered the role that the vessel plays in space engagements. Now the Denunciator acts much more in a secondary support role, following behind other vessels once they have punched a hole in defensive lines or providing long range fighter cover. The vessel comes into its element when rapid deployment of marines is required, the large flight deck allowing whole companies to be sent into battle with great speed. Despite the reductions in its firepower, the Denunciator can still hold its own in fleet actions.

During the refit, the superstructure of the battleship was radically altered, making the vessel easily recognisable. The modifications made included the re-organisation of internal spaces and the extension of the primary superstructure along the dorsal spine of the vessel, toward the prow. Included in the extension were spaces designated for the chapter's Librarium and Inner Reclusium, the Apothecarion and crew quarters. These changes along with the construction of the Great Chamber, allow for the entire chapter to be assembled upon the Denunciator for short periods. At the heart of the ship alongside the main engine room, lies the Chapter's Forge. The vast facility covers several decks and is a riot of heat, light and sound. Here the techmarines work tirelessly to produce weapons and munitions for the chapter and to repair damage sustained in battle. Despite the size of the Forge relative to other planet-based chapters, the Maledictors have the ability to produce most of the hardware they require. From speeders and bikes to transports and battle tanks, the artificers can make any configuration short of the heavy battle tank Land Raider. This mighty warmachine is manufactured only on Proteus, the Adeptus Mechanicus unwilling to release the templates necessary to build the Raider and the technology needed to imbue its frame with the Machine Spirit.